Castle Lane Crew
by ErryBerry
Summary: The gang has been best friends forever. Cammie is the golden girl of Roseville, Zach has never been rejected before. Senior year arrives, boundaries are pushed and records are broken, but will their friendship survive? AU - normal some OOC. R&R!
1. Chapter 1

Zach stared at the long blonde ringlets of hair that cascaded down her back and he slumped a little lower in his seat. He didn't bother trying to pay attention, Mr. Smith couldn't keep the attention of a wall. Cammie, however, sat perched at the edge of her seat, furiously recording all of Mr. Smith's lecture. Zach quickly grew very bored, just five minutes into the class.

He leaned forward and whispered into Cammie's ear,

"Watcha writing?"

Cammie irritatedly turned and scowled at him.

"Zach I am trying to pay attention, please leave me alone."

Zach simply smirked before replying "Well you're no fun."

"Get over it." She hissed before refocusing her attention on the board.

Disappointed that Cammie wouldn't entertain him, Zach decided that he was going to have to find a new way to pass the time. Suddenly, an idea occurred to him. He leaned very far forward in his seat and discreetly poked Cammie in the stomach. She squealed very loudly, her face getting very red as the entire class turned towards the disturbance. Mr. Smith raised an eyebrow at Cammie.

"Is everything ok, Ms. Morgan?"

"Ugh..er.. Za.." She began to stutter. "Yes sir, everything is fine."

Satisfied, Zach leaned back in his seat, enjoying brief distraction. Zach was one of the few people who new Cammie Morgan's weakness. She was the most popular girl in school, but she was incredibly ticklish. Forty-Five minutes later the bell rang and the class began to file out of the classroom. Zach stood up swiftly and waited next to Cammie's desk to walk her out of the room. She glared up at him as she gathered her books in her arms.

"Please, let me take those." Zach said, putting on a gentlemanly facade, but his undertone was entirely sarcastic.

"Thanks but no thanks Zachary, I think I have it under control." Cammie stated bluntly as she gathered her things and headed to the door. Zach quickly matched her pace, and grabbed her books out of her arms. She rolled her eyes up at him, and stretched her arms out, waiting for him to give her books back.

"C'mon Gallagher Girl, don't want to be late, do we?" He taunted her as he strode down the hallway, leaving Cammie to catch up to him to retrieve her books. Zach walked to his locker, which was across the hall from Cammie's, who, in turn went to hers. She swiftly opened her lock and smiled as she saw her locker neighbor, Tyler, approach.

"Hey Ty!" She greeted with a bright smile.

"Well good morning Sunshine, someones in a good mood today" He teased with a smile.

"I'm always in a good mood!" She exclaimed defensively.

"Yeah if you've had your coffee" Ty said under his breath

"Oh shutup" Cammie laughed

Suddenly Cammie felt someone's muscular arms wrap around her waist and pick her up off the ground. She squeaked in surprise twisting in the offending arms to see who was holding her. She came face to face with Zachary Goode's bright green eyes that held her in a trance-she couldn't look away.

Zach cleared his throat, "Well Cammie I know you've always had a little crush on me but staring deeply into my eyes is a little weird."

Cammie rolled her eyes, snapping out of the trance.

"Put me down Goode." she demanded in the scariest voice she could muster.

"Nah I'm goode" He replied cockily, his eyes daring her to try and get down. Cammie wasn't one to give in that easily and she began to squirm in his arms trying to wriggle her way onto the ground. Zach seemed to have an iron grasp on her, and Cammie desperately turned to Tyler for help, but Tyler had already gone to class.

"See what you did Zach? You scared of my friend" Cammie whined.

"Oh well, I think he'll get over it" Zach replied, and began the walk to science class.

Zach and Cammie were the last two in the class, earning a glare from Mr. M.

"Really, Cammie, again?" Mr. M asked, with a slight smile on his face. Surprisingly, he wasn't referring to the fact that she was late, but the fact that this was the third time this week someone had carried her into his class. Cammie was tiny, just barely five feet and was the smallest by far in her grade. She was the captain of the cheer team, and not surprisingly a flyer. Cammie was the best flyer in the state, and she had taken her team to nationals twice. There was something about her that made all of Roseville High love her. Not to mention, all of the football players like to pick her up, simply because she always told them not to. However, she never had a boyfriend, but lots of friends who were boys. Nonetheless, she was still the most wanted girl in their town. Zach, on the other hand, never had a girl say no to him before. He was gorgeous, fit, and the captain of the football team, with and ego too big for their school. He always got what he wanted, or who he wanted, and Cammie Morgan was a challenge. Besides, in the stereotype that exists in high school, isn't the head cheerleader supposed to date the captain of the football team? But Cammie didn't play by the rules. She did what she pleased and lived her life carefree.

Zach walked down the rows of desks and deposited Cammie in the last row, taking the seat beside her. She glared up at him before discreetly pulling her phone out and texting her friends.

"Oh, the golden girl of Roseville is breaking school rules? I don't believe it" Zach shook his head dramatically. "Maybe I should tell Mr. M of this shocking discovery..."

Cammie shook her head, annoyed once again and pocketed her phone. She looked to her right, seeing that her best friend Grant was sitting next to her and she perked right up.

"Grant!"

"Camster!" he returned the enthusiasm. Cammie rolled her eyes at his second grade nickname. Grant and Cammie were next door neighbors, in fact their entire group of close friends lived on the same street. It was called Castle Lane, and in fifth grade they decided to call themselves the Castle Lane Crew. Although this name didn't last, the group remained close friends throughout all of high school leading up to their senior year. The crew all lived at the end of the land, their houses rimming the end of the circle. Cammie's house, which was the largest, sat in the middle, with Grant's to the left and Bex's to her right. Zach was on the other side of Grant, followed by Nick, Tyler, Jonas, and Matt. To the right of Bex was Macey, Liz, Jordan, and Brad. The twelve of them were the most popular kids in the school, and they had a very close friend group. They always tended to hang at Cammie's house, mostly because Cammie's parents weren't around much and Cammie always liked to have people around. Zach had been the newest addition to e Castle Lane Crew, he moved into their neighborhood after Josh moved away in fourth grade. Ever since them, Zach had been determined to make Cammie Morgan fall into his trance.

Tonight was the homecoming football game, and Cammie and her friends were cheering at the game. It was a custom for the cheerleaders to wear a football players jersey on the night of the game.

"Grant," Cammie whispered, "I forgot to ask for a jersey!"

"Cammie," he said looking down at her "are you seriously worried about getting a jersey? You know any guy here would die to give your theirs." Grant and Cammie had been close friends for a very long time. Because Cammie's parents weren't around for her much, she spent a lot of her time at Grant's house, he was the big brother she never had. Their entire group of friends was very protective of Cammie. She was the youngest and smallest out of all of them, and she still had this air of innocence to her.

Cammie was about to say something when suddenly Zach interrupted their conversation.

"Actually Cammie if you remember correctly you have to wear my jersey. Head cheerleader has the wear the captain's jersey" Zach gloated.

Cammie frowned but before she could object, Zach smirked. "School tradition" he gloated, enjoying getting a rise out of her. Cammie huffed out of frustration but nonetheless agreed. Homecoming was going to be very interesting.

**thanks for reading! I hope you liked it as much as I liked writing it! I'm new here, and this is my first story, so tell me what you think? Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot and some characters.**

**thanks!**

**Xoxo**

**Tara**


	2. Chapter 2

As Cammie left her locker to go to lunch, she was immediately flanked by her three best friends, Macey, Bex, and Liz.

"What's up Cam?" Macey asked as the girls headed into the cafeteria.

"Oh you know, same old same old" Cammie replied with a laugh. The group walked to their table in the center of the cafeteria to be met by the rest of the crew. Cammie sat down in between Grant and Macey.

"So whose excited for the Homecoming dance?" Bex squealed. Bex and Grant had been steadily dating since sophomore year, and Grant had already asked Bex to be his date.

"I will be once I get a date" Macey muttered under her breath so only Cammie heard.

"Speaking of which, where is Nick?" Cammie wondered aloud. In that moment, Nick suddenly burst through the doors of the cafeteria holding a microphone. Calm and collected, he slowly strode over to their table, and all eyes were on him. When he reached the table, he swiftly jumped on top of it and stood in front of Macey.

"Macey McHenry," he said.

Macey raised an eyebrow before responding "Yes?" Cammie knew that Macey was only pretending to be uninterested, but in reality she was freaking out on the inside.

"Will you do me the honor of being my date to the Homecoming dance tomorrow night?"

"Umm" she started, looking Nick up and down. "Kidding! Of course I'll go with you!"

Nick smiled triumphantly and handed her a single red rose. He jumped off the table and he and Macey began to kiss. However, the kiss soon grew into an intense make out session.

"Get a room!" Matt yelled. Well that was one way to ruin the moment. Nick and Macey broke apart, but didn't look the slightest bit ashamed.

"Lizzie, did Jonas finally man up and ask you to the dance?" Asked Matt. He is quite the romantic Cammie thought.

Liz and Jonas both immediately blushed and nodded, but went back to their private conversations. Neither enjoyed being the center of attention.

"And what about you Cammie, whose the lucky guy?" Matt asked.

"Oh no ones asked me yet, I think I'm just going to go alone." Cammie replied. She wasn't upset about it at all, going alone didn't bother her at all. She would still see all of her friends at the dance.

"Lies!" Brad called from down the table. "I bet you've been asked by at least ten guys, but your just saving yourself for me because I'm so irresistible." That was classic Brad. He was, nicely put, the man whore of their group.

Cammie laughed and played along "You have me all figured out, I just can't stay away from you"

"The ladies never can" Brad said and Cammie laughed again. He was very good looking and strong, but he was the stereotypical meat headed jock. Brad once emailed the school complaining about his low grades. His argument was "My GPA is a 1.5 but I can bench 350 so I think I should get a 2.5." He signed the email Doctor Brad Stanley, M.D.

After school ended, Cammie and Tyler walked out of the school towards the parking lot. They jumped into Grant's Mercedes Benz and waited for Zach and Bex. The CLC (an: short for Castle Lane Crew) had carpooled to school together ever since they were little because they were all neighbors. The other six were supposed to be going in Nick's range rover. However, Nick left before Jonas and Liz got to his car so they needed to get a ride with Grant. Grant's Mercedes only seated five, and there were now seven people who needed a ride. Grant sat impatiently in the front with Bex in the passenger seat.

"Well, uhh, Lizzie, you could, um, yanno, sit on my lap, I mean if that's okay with you." Jonas mumbled nervously.

"Yeah sure, that'll be fine." Liz answered hesitantly with a nervous laugh.

"But that means that one other person will have to double up so we can all fit." Cammie stated.

"Well, Gallagher Girl if you wanted to sit on my lap you could've just asked, you didn't have to make this whole elaborate plan and force Liz and Jonas to miss their ride home-"

"Oh shut up Zach." Cammie said climbing onto his lap and leaning her back against the door. Zach responded by tightly wrapping his arm around her waist securing her to his lap. Cammie squirmed in his grip and raised an eyebrow at him.

"We wouldn't want you to hurt your pretty little face or get thrown around the car now would we? Especially with Grant driving..." Zach began.

"Hey I heard that!" Grant yelled from the front.

"Sorry Grantary but I agree with Zach. I don't know why we get in the car with you." Cammie stated bluntly. Before Grant could defend himself the car slid off the road into a patch of mud and Grant jerked the wheel to force the car back onto the road. Cammie was thrown against Zach's chest and and Bex screamed "Bloody Hell Grant are you trying to kill us all?" Grant sheepishly continued driving, not saying anything else. Cammie tried to sit up and push herself off Zach's chest, but his arms had locked her into that position.

"Ahem, Zachary, are you going to let me up?" Cammie asked, looking up at him with her big blue eyes.

Zach, suprisingly, smirked down at her and shook his head. "Nah, I'm comfortable." Cammie just rolled her eyes and lay her head against his chest.

When the group finally got home (Grant had been driving extra slow to prove what a great driver he was) they parked in front of Grant's house. Cammie looked up expectantly at Zach, wanting him to release his arms. Instead of doing that, he simply stepped out of the car and shifted Cammie in his arms so he was holding her bridal style. He began walking to his house, which was in the opposite direction of her own.

Cammie spoke up, "Zach not to point out the obvious but my house is back there" she said, pointing over his shoulder."

"I know," he said "but I need to give you my jersey and its in my room."

"Again with the obvious statements, but I can walk you know."

"I know, but you just seemed to be enjoying yourself so much in the car that I thought I would be a nice guy and let you enjoy laying on my six pack for a little while longer."

"Oh you're right Zach, I owe you one." Cammie said sarcastically.

"Yes, you do and I'll keep that in mind" He said as he winked at her.

As Zach stepped into his bedroom, he put Cammie down on her feet. She flopped onto his bed and let out a sigh of contentment.

"Cammie likes my bed, I'll keep that in mind" Zach teased as he dug his jersey out of his closet.

"I DO like your bed," she mumbled sleepily, "it's so soft and comfy"

"Gallagher Girl you can't be tired, the big game is tonight!" Zach said, mock-seriously.

"But I am tired and I like your bed so..."

Cammie was caught off guard as Zach suddenly lunged on top of the bed. He pinned her arms above her head and straddled her waist. He leaned in very closely to her face and whispered "Are you awake now?"

"Nope" Cammie said stubbornly, closing her eyes and yawning for emphasis. Cammie knew he was trying to get a reaction out of her, and she was determined not to give him one.

Suddenly, Cammie's eyes snapped open and her whole body tensed. Zach has just run his hand down her ticklish side, and she was suddenly very afraid.

"No, Zach please don't!" She said as she saw the mischievous look in his green eyes.

"Don't what?" He said as he poked her stomach and he smirked as she squeaked.

"Don't tickle me!" She chocked out.

But it was too late. Zach's fingers had already started a full fledged attack on her stomach and sides. Cammie was laughing so hard that she couldn't breathe. Zach leaned in close to her face and locked his eyes with hers. His minty breath was washing over her face and making it hard for her to think. And suddenly he jumped off her

"Well Gallagher Girl this has been fun but I have to start getting ready for the big game. See you tonight babe." He said flashing her a wink as she hopped off his bed.

"Sure thing Zachy whatever you say" she taunted, and added a little more swing to her hips as she walked out the door.

**hey guys!**

**first of all I want to thank everyone who reviewed you guys are actually the best! I'm really excited that so many people liked my story and I have lots of ideas for the future!**

**i play soccer pretty competitively and I'm wicked stressed out right now trying to figure out committing to college. Do any of you guys play soccer? I'm still trying to figure this whole site out so forgive me if I made any mistakes. **

**i like to update at least once a week, but I sometimes do more. shout out to ThreeFlyingBirds for being my first reviewer ever!**

**wanna tell me what you think? Hope you liked it!**

**so c'mon, stick around, see how it ends :)**

**xoxo**

**Tara**


	3. Chapter 3

Cammie sat alone in her bathroom waiting for her friends to arrive. It was a tradition for the girls to always get ready at Cammie's house before they went out. Macey was the first girl to arrive, and she walked right into Cammie's house. The crew didnt have boundaries, they basically lived at each others houses anyways so they entered without knocking. Macey strolled into Cammie's bathroom and wordlessly began plugging in curling irons and pulling out makeup.

"Well hello to you too Mace." Cammie said sarcastically as she sat in front of the vanity.

"We don't have time to chat, we have to work." Macey said curtly and pulled the curling iron over to Cammie's long blonde hair.

"Yes mam!" Cammie mocked as she started doing her eyeliner. Just then, Bex and Liz walked into Cammie's room hauling more "primping" tools.

"Hey guys sorry we're late!" Liz squeaked. Bex looked like she couldn't care less what time she arrived.

"It's fine, just got to work on your hair, the way I showed you too, and hurry!" Macey ordered.

"Aye aye captain." Bex said, and Cammie giggled. Half an hour later the girls were all primped and styled and ready to go to the game. Cammie wore Zach's football jersey over leggings and cheer shoes, with her hair curled flawlessly down her back. The other girls were dressed similarly, except Macey had Nick's jersey, Bex had Grant's, and Liz had Jonas'. The girls got into Macey's car and headed to the stadium. Once they arrived, the met with the other cheerleaders and warmed up for the game. Cammie was practicing her tumbling when she accidentally slipped during her back flip and stumbled right into Tyler.

"Careful Sunshine," he said as he caught her and set her back on her feet.

"Shouldn't you be warming up for the game?" Cammie asked, laughing at his nickname.

"What, I don't even get a thanks for saving your life?" Tyler asked, feigning hurt.

"Don't be so dramatic Ty, I wasn't going to die. I think you're giving yourself too much credit." She declared, playfully sticking her tongue out at him.

"Okay Sassy, I'm going to go get ready for the game, so try not to trip when I'm not around because I won't be there to catch you."

"Okay Tyler, but you better win. For me, please?" She asked with her big puppy dog eyes.

"Only for you Sunshine" he said with a warm smile, before rejoining his teammates in their warmups. Cammie headed up to the announcer's box at the top of the bleachers greeting almost everyone as she climbed to the top. She stopped when she saw Matt and Jordan in the top row. Matt and Jordan didn't play football, but they were the most talented boys on Rosseville's hockey and lacrosse team. Matt and Jordan were very close friends and both had already committed to division one college. Both boys were heading to Duke after high school, Matt playing lacrosse and Jordan playing hockey.

"Hey Jord! Hey Matt!" Cammie greeted enthusiastically.

"Hey Cams" Jordan said, standing up to hug her, followed by Matt.

"Y'all are coming to Grant's for the party after right?" Cammie asked, teasing Jordan at the same time. Jordan moved to Castle Lane when he was five from Texas. When he was little he used to always say "y'all" and talk with a southern accent. (A/N: I think that southern accents are the cutest things in the world and don't even get me started on southern boys (; teehee) Although he had long since outgrown his accent, the CLC still liked to tease him about it.

"Sweetheart, if you're gonna try and mock me, at least do the accent right" Jordan said, speaking in a southern accent.

"I just wanna be a southern belle" Cammie pouted.

"It needs some work darlin" Jordan said, keeping with his southern facade.

"Okay you can stop rubbing it in." Cammie said, faux glaring at him.

"JORDAN'S ACCENT IS BETTER THAN YOURS" Matt suddenly screamed, attracting attention from the crowd below.

"Thank you for the lovely input Matthew." Cammie retorted sarcastically.

"Anytime Cammie" Matt said, simultaneously fist bumping Jordan.

"Alright boys I have to finish getting ready so I'll catch you guys after the game!"

"Later Cams" Matt called, as Cammie turned to run up the stairs to the box. Once inside she finished checking to make sure that the music was set up for their halftime show before she returned to the field. As she got down to the field her eyes scanned the crowd looking for Zach. She stood on her tip toes trying to see over the heads of the tall boys in front of her. Suddenly she felt someone nip her on the sides. She squeaked, and turned to face Zach.

"Hey there you are, I thought we were gonna run out of time!" She said breathlessly. As much as the pair flirted and argued with each other, they were still really good friends. Before every game, Cammie would find Zach and do their special handshake before he would go out on the field. Sophomore year, Cammie was sick for one of the football games and Zach drove to her house to get his good luck before going to play.

"We always find time" Zach said with a genuine smile. Then he and Cammie did a very complex handshake (A/N has anyone ever seen the parent trap? Think of the handshake that Annie does with her butler. If you haven't seen it, google parent trap handshake and I'm sure you could find a video).

Cammie then hugged Zach and whispered in his ear "Go get 'em Zach"

Zach smirked down at her and said "Believe me, I will." As he turned, Cammie flirtatiously smacked his ass. She couldn't resist, he looked so good with his football pants on.

"Have fun" she said with a wink.

"Oh, so you can grab my butt but you freak out if I touch yours" Zach whined with a pout. "I don't think that's fair." He said as he took to big step toward her with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"Zach, what are you doing" Cammie questioned warily, looking up as he towered over her.

"Evening the score" he mumbled as he placed his large hands on her hips. As much as Cammie wanted to back away, Zach's strong hands were holding her in place. Subtly, they drifted down to her butt and he squeezed, causing Cammie to squirm uncomfortably in his arms.

Zach laughed at her discomfort, before he stepped away and pointed to her jersey. "Represent that number well, okay?" He asked, with an earnest look in his eyes.

"You too Zachy, don't mess up out there, I don't want to wear this jersey and be associated with you if you screw up."

"You're confidence in me is empowering" Zach said sarcastically before adding, "C'mon Cammie you know me. Zach Goode doesn't make mistakes."

"Prove it!" Cammie giggled, pushing him towards the football field.

Cammie returned to her friends for the beginning of the game, where they cheered for the boys from the sideline, but didn't do any routines. They were saving all their new routines for the half time show, which would be amazing if everything went as planned.

At the half, Roseville was up 28-7, and they were dominating the competition. Cammie lead her squad out to the center of the field to perform their halftime show.

"Here's to never growing up" by Avril Lavigne began to blast through the speakers and the girls moved in perfect synchronization to the first part of their routine, the beginning of the routine was mostly dance moves, but when the song reached the chorus the girls began to tumble like crazy. Girls were flipping, tucking, twisting, and twirling all across the field. Then the team split into two lines and did double back handsprings to back tucks, while Cammie came down the middle, landing her double Arabian. In the last portion of the song, more girls went to do gymnastics, while Cammie started her flying routine. Bex, Eva, and Macey all lifted her and Cammie began to twist and twirl her body throughout the air. The rush of adrenaline that Cammie got while she was performing these tricks was unreal. As the routine ended, Cammie dropped into a split alongside Macey as the other girls stood in their poses. The crowd burst into applause and Cammie jumped up, hugged Bex, and lead her team off the field. Their first routine of the year had been flawless, and Cammie could not wait to try and defend their national title.

Roseville ended up winning the game 42-13. As much as Cammie hated to admit it to herself, Zach was right. He did play a great game. The crew was now all heading bak to Grant's house for their annual homecoming party. This was a party that everyone would talk about for months after, and Cammie could not wait to go. He wasn't a hard core partier, but Cammie liked to be around people, and there would surely be a lot of people at Grant's tonight.

**hey guys!**

**first of all, thank you so so much to everyone who reviewed you guys make my day! I'm so excited about this story and I've gotten way more reviews than I expected to get so I'm just so grateful!**

**i just started a new workout program and it is exhausting. I'm training with a professional player a which is super exciting but she works me really hard. i took my first ice bath the other day. Has anyone else ever done that? Yeahh not fun. But the good news is I have a tournament soon and I'm in really good shape so it should go well. Ahh enough about soccer.**

**i hope you guys liked this chapter! The next one should cover the party and maybe the dance depending on how wild the party gets lol. I saw that a couple of other authors have been doing this thing where they send sneak previews to their reviewers. Would anyone be interested in that? Lemme knoww:) **

**shoutout to ThreeFlyingBirds for being my first reviewer if chapter two again!**

**also shoutout to ExPoDiNg-DoNkEy-CuRsE your review made me smile and I love your pen name!  
**

**ahhh such a long authors note. Does anyone actually read all of this?**

**so c'mon, stick around, see how it ends :)**

**xoxo**

**Tara**


	4. Chapter 4

Cammie, Bex, Liz, and Macey all went to Cammie's house directly after the homecoming game. They quickly got changed out of the boys jerseys and got ready for the party. Grant had an indoor pool, so the girls all got changed into bikinis and walked from Cammie's house next door to Grant's. So far, only members of the CLC had arrived to the party. Cammie and her friends walked over to the pool where all the boys, minus Zach, were in the pool. The other girls moved to put their stuff down on the lounge chairs but Cammie stayed, staring into the clear water, lost in her train of thought.

Suddenly, a pair of strong arms wrapped around her waist from behind picking her off the ground and holding her bridal style. Cammie glanced up, knowing only too well who she would see. Zach smirked down at her.

"Nice of you to finally show up" Zach teased.

"We'll, if you look around, the party really hasn't started yet. It's just us."

"Hey! I'm insulted that you don't care about my presence" Brad called from the pool.

Cammie just flipped him off before turning her attention back to Zach, who was currently checking her out. She squirmed uncomfortably under his gaze, and he laughed.

"Keep your eyes up my friend" Cammie declared, pushing Zach's face away from her.

"Please," he scoffed "like you weren't already drooling over my body."

"Actually, I hadn't noticed" Cammie answered truthfully, triumphantly looking up at him.

"We'll you might want to check it out-here I'll help you!" Zach said as he suddenly grabbed her hand and slid it down his rock hard abs.

"Zach!" She screeched, trying to pull her hand out of his grip and wiggle her way out of his arms, but he wasn't giving up.

"Cammie!" Zach yelled suddenly

"What?"

"You haven't gone in the pool yet!" Zach accused, and Cammie knew exactly what he was thinking.

"Nope, no Zach I have my phone on me, sorry, looks like you have to put me down" Cammie rambled, trying to convince him.

"Hey Jordan! Can you come here for a second?" Zach called

"What's up guys?" Jordan asked as he hopped out of the pool.

"Can you grab Cammie's phone for me?" Zach asked, and Cammie immediately clung to her phone like a lifeline.

"I'm not letting it go" Cammie said, determined.

"Really?" Zach asked. "Are you sure?" Cammie eyed him warily, but refused to give in. So Zach simply smirked before he began mercilessly tickling her stomach, and in her moment of weakness, Jordan was willing to snatch her phone.

"Jordan!" Cammie whined, "I thought you were on my side!"

"Sorry Cams, Bro Code." Jordan said before walking off with her phone. Zach looked down at her with a triumphant grin. Cammie mustered up the best puppy dog face that she could and glanced up at him with her bright blue eyes. "Please don't Zachy"

Zach simply smirked down at her "Nice try sweetheart, but that's not going to work this time." And with that, Zach jumped into the pool, still holding Cammie in his arms. Cammie came up for air, completely soaked but thankful that she was wearing waterproof makeup. Out of annoyance, she tried to swim away from Zach who easily caught up with her. He pushed her back against the edge of the pool and blocked her escape.

"Where do you think you're going?" Zach questioned, his eyes smoldering. And in that moment Cammie's brain lost the ability to form a coherent sentence.

"I was...just... swimming...cactus" she mumbled.

"What was that?" He asked with an amused smile and she blushed. She immediately snapped out of her trance because Cammie Morgan does not blush.

"Are you blushing? That's cute. It's nice to know I have an effect on you"

"Yes you do have an effect on me." Cammie said innocently. "You make me want to projectile vomit." She said with a smile.

"One day Morgan, you're going to need me and I won't be there."

"Okay Zach, if thinking that let's you sleep at night." Before he could remark, Cammie continued. "Zachy, do you wanna be my best friend?"

"What do you want?" He asked warily.

"Can you give me a piggy back ride to the kitchen? I'm starving."

"Only for you Cammie" Zach said, rolling his eyes. "And by the way" he added, "you owe big time"

"Yay!" She yelled as she jumped on his back and they headed into the kitchen. He put her down on the counter and hopped up next to her. Before they could do anything else, Grant burst into the kitchen, screaming about koalas and his search for the perfect avocado. Bex followed shortly after calling Grant a bloody idiot and some other choice words. The couple passed right through the kitchen, paying no attention to Zach and Cammie. Zach and Cammie looked at each other, before bursting into laughter.

Then, Liz came bursting into the kitchen. "Cammie! Everyone's coming, and guess what?"

"What?"

"Kenzie's back!"

"WHAT!"

"She's moving back into her house, right next to Matt!" Kenzie had been in the Castle Lane Crew until high school, when she had moved to France as her mother was a famous fashion designer.

Cammie ran out to the pool area just as Kenzie was walking in and she tackled her in a bone crushing hug.

"I missed you so much Kenz!"

"I missed you too Cams!"

"How was France?"

"Never mind France, who is that hottie?" She asked, pointing towards Matt.

"It's Matt Kenz, did you forget?"

"No, but he got a lot hotter than I remember him being!"

"Matt, come here for a second!" Cammie called.

"What's up guys?" Matt asked.

"Do you have a date for homecoming?" Cammie replied.

"No.." He responded, looking a little embarrassed.

"Perfect! You remember Kenzie, pick her up at 6:30. Don't be late!" And Cammie skipped away from the pair. Matt had always had a crush on Kenzie and Cammie was just playing matchmaker.

Cammie headed back towards the living room and grabbed a beer. A little party never hurt nobody (A/N: first person to guess whose quote this is gets a shout out!)

The party was just heating up and the living room was packed with people moving to the beat. Cammie dove right in, with excitement, moving her body to the beat. In the middle of the floor, someone she didn't recognize came up and started grinding behind her. Cammie didn't know why, maybe it was the alcohol working its way through her veins, but she didn't mind. That is, until the mysterious boys hands began to wander.

Cammie stepped out of his grasp and looked up. "Ew. No." She said.

The boy smiled "Baby don't be like that."

Suddenly, Zach stepped in. "She told you to get lost. Get out of here before the paramedics have to carry you out." Maybe it was the murderous look in Zach's eyes or maybe it was the CLC standing behind him, but the boy turned and headed out through the back. Cammie smiled and throw herself at Zach.

"C'mon lets dance!" Cammie sang and began grinding up against him. Zach just smirked at her drunk behavior and began swaying to the beat.

Cammie glanced around the floor and realized that Kenzie and Matt were making out in the corner. She smiled to herself and glanced up at Zach. She had to admit that he looked really hot. However, right now she was just in the mood to dance, and Zach was a good dancer.

Not to mention his arms felt so right around her, but she pushed those thoughts out of her mind.

**hey y'all!**

**huge thanks to all my reviewers, you guys are the best! Hope you enjoyed this chapter, sorry it was a little bit shorter but I have a party to go to and I figure a shorter update is better than none at all!**

**happy fourth to all my American readers! I absolutely adore the fourth of july it's like my favorite holiday. I'm going to see more fireworks tonight.**

**I'm going to start sending spoilers to my reviewers so just let me know if you want one!**

**Shoutout to beatrueheart for being the first reviewer on this chapter!**

**shoutout to Kylie: your review made me really happy :) which part made you laugh?**

**and shoutout to Zach-Goode' : I think that's the nicest review I've ever gotten!**

**hope you liked it,**

**so c'mon, stick around, see how it ends :)**

**xoxo**

**Tara**


	5. Chapter 5

The next morning Cammie woke up extremely comfortable. She had a slight headache from drinking but nothing too bad. Not nearly as bad as the one after Brad's birthday party two years ago. As she shifted around in the bed she realized that she wasn't alone. Slowly opening her eyes, she glanced beside her to see Zach laying next to her with his arms wrapped protectively around her. She quickly glanced down and saw that she was thankfully still dressed. She slowly began trying to pry her way out of Zach's arms, but to no avail. They simply tightened around her and drew her closer to his extremely chiseled chest.

"Zach!" She called, pushing against his chest. He groggily opened his eyes and looked up at her.

"Zaaaaach" Cammie whined, sitting up in his bed. "How did we get in your room?"

"Well" Zach began with a smirk, "As I remember last night you were drunk and began demanding that I let you sleep in my bed, which you said was 'softer than a pile of puppies', and who am I to say no to that logic?"

"So you were drunk too?"

"Yeah, just a little"

"Okay, well as much fun as this has been, I'm going over to Grant's for breakfast so I'll see you later." Cammie stated.

"Okay sweetheart, we can do it again sometime" Zach said with a wink as Cammie slipped out of his room. She walked out of Zach's house and headed next door to Grant's. She ate breakfast there a lot on the weekends as her family wasn't around much.

"Grantary?" Cammie called as she walked into Grant's large house.

"Oh hey Cams" a disheveled Grant responded as he wandered down the stairs.

"Where is everyone?"

"They're all away, and I just got up." Grant replied, looking like he was still half asleep.

"So...cereal for breakfast?" Cammie asked.

"That's the fanciest thing I can make." Grant mumbled. The pair headed into the kitchen and prepared two bowls of cereal. They sat down next to each other at the bar and switched on the tv. They watched old Friends reruns (A/N: ahhh love that show!) for the better part of the morning. Cammie and Grant had an easy friendship. They didn't have to constantly be talking. They could just hang out and be lazy together, like brother and sister. Grant understood things about Cammie that no one else did, like that her parent's absence affected her a lot more than she ever let on and how she hated being alone. He also felt compelled to watch out for her, as he thought of her as a little sister. Cammie left in the early afternoon to go get ready for the homecoming dance.

To say Cammie was excited would be an understatement. Cammie absolutely loved dances and large crowds. She had this event marked on her calendar for weeks. As she walked into her unsurprisingly empty house, she headed upstairs to her bedroom and hopped in the shower. As she was showering she heard the girls walk into her bedroom to get ready for the dance. As she stepped out of the shower, she wrapped a towel firmly around her chest and walked into her bedroom to meet the girls. What she didn't expect to see was Zach laying on her bed playing with his phone.

"ZACH!" She screeched backing up against the wall in surprise. "What the hell are you doing in my room?"

"I have to admit, you're right." Zach said, completely ignoring her question. "My bed is way comfier than yours."

"Zach-"

"That's my name" he interrupted.

"Get out of my room!" She whined, adjusting her towel.

"Why?" He asked, his eyes roaming downwards.

"Gee I don't know, maybe because I'm naked?"

"No, that's not it," he said, taking a step closer to her. "I make you nervous" he said, his words barely above a whisper and they washed over her face.

"No you don't!" Cammie declared, as she tried to step back into the bathroom. However, Zach had backed her up against the wall, and he placed both of his large hands on either side of her face, trapping her with his body. Zach then slowly leaned his head down so he was eye level with her.

With his green eyes smoldering he murmured, "Cammie, would you be my date to homecoming?"

Cammie looked at the earnest look in his eyes and mumbled, "Yeah why not."

Zach stepped back with a smirk on his face. "Great, pick you up at seven Gallagher Girl." And he strode out of the room. Cammie let out a breath she didn't know she was holding and gasped. What had she just agreed to?

Now that Zach was gone, Cammie walked into her closet and pulled put her dress. It was a black strapless form-fitting dress with crystal beading. There was no harm in making Zach drool a little tonight. The thought made her giggle. Cammie slid into her bathroom and finished curling her hair and applying make-up. Then she walked back into her room and stepped into her dress. She struggled to reach the zipper and tugged it up past her butt, but them it got caught above her lower back. Just as she was about to take the dress off, Zach casually strode into her room.

"Zach you really need to stop doing that." Cammie said angrily as she tugged at her dress.

"Relax, I only came here to give you this," he said as he pulled out a beautiful corsage from his pocket.

"Zach, you didn't-"

"Give me your hand" he interrupted.

"I can't" she said sheepishly.

"Why not?"

"My dress" she said, motioning to the fact that she was uncomfortably holding her dress up.

"Here, I got it" Zach said as he placed on hand on the small of her back and carefully tugged the zipper up her dress with his other hand.

"Thank you," she said, letting out a sigh of relief as Zach slipped the corsage on her wrist.

"I'll be back at seven, so be ready darling, or else I'll drag you out to the car myself" he said, and with one last wink he slipped out of the room.

Cammie glanced at the clock and saw that it was six, so she went into her closet and pulled out her heels and her clutch. As she exited her closet, Bex, Liz, Macey, and Kenzie all decided to show up.

"It took you guys long enough!" Cammie complained as she slid on her heels. It was a tradition for the girls to take pictures together at Cammie's house before every dance. They all walked downstairs and took pictures together in Cammie's Great room. Then they just sat around talking, waiting for their dates to come pick them up. All the other girls left at 6:45, and Zach wasn't coming until 7:00, so Cammie was waiting alone in her house for the last fifteen minutes. At seven sharp Zach rang the doorbell, and Cammie skipped to the door, still excited for the Homecoming dance.

"Hey Zach!" Se chirped as she opened the door.

"Hey Cammie," he said giving her a once over. "You don't look horrible."

Cammie just rolled her eyes at the typical Zach response. "Are you ready?" He asked her.

"Yup!" She replied. "Oh wait! I left my clutch up in my room!" She said as she turned to run upstairs.

"Uh uh uh Cammie," Zach sang, catching her around her waist. "I said that we were leaving at seven sharp." And he turned and slung Cammie over his shoulder, and walked to his Lamborghini.

"You're the worst date I've ever had." Cammie grumbled as he placed her in the front seat.

"Babe, you love me" Zach replied with a smirk as he pulled out of her arrived at the dance fifteen minutes late and it was already in full swing. Zach throw his arm around Cammie's shoulders and they walked into the gym. Inside, Cammie immediately headed to grab some punch, and she was ninety percent sure it was spiked. Uncaring, she tossed back two glasses and turned to the dance floor. Tugging on Zach's hand, she pulled him to the center of the mass of bodies, and much like the night before, began grinding against him. They danced together for every song for the first hour of the dance. Then, Cammie separated and began to dance with her other friends, like Tyler and Jordan. Then, the music turned slow, and a boy named Jason came up to Cammie and asked her to dance with him.

Before she could respond, Zach stepped in. "Actually, she promised me she would give me her first dance, sorry Jay"

"It's Jason!" The boy protested, but Zach had already pulled Cammie away.

"What was that all about?" Cammie asked Zach as they spun around the dance floor.

"I was just saving my date from dancing with that creep Jay."

"Is someone jealous?" Cammie teased.

"Of who, him? Jay has nothing on me." Zach scoffed.

"Hey I heard that!" Jason called from across the room. Zach just flipped him off in response.

"We'll I think that it's adorable, being jealous at all." Cammie teased again.

"Okay shortie, if I were you I'd watch what you say" Zach warned mock-seriously.

"What ever do you mean Zachary?" Cammie asked all too innocently. "Hey I'm not short!"

"Cammie, you're it really in a position to be teasing. And yes, you are short, I could eat you for breakfast."

"What are you gonna do about it?" Cammie challenged with a playful spark in her big blue eyes.

"I know what I would do." He said mysteriously, and Cammie gave him a confused look. He slowly raised his hands from her hips and tickled her stomach.

Cammie's eyes quickly grew serious as she realized what he would do. "No Zach" she said as she pushed his hands back down.

Just then, a voice came on the microphone. "Announcing this years Homecoming king and queen!"

"King is...Zachary Goode!" Zach smirked at Cammie before he strode up to the stage to receive his crown.

"And his Queen is...Cammie Morgan!" The applause in the gym was deafening as everyone genuinely loved Cammie. Cammie eagerly skipped up the stage to receive her crown. Nick and Macey were announced as the Prince and Princess.

"And now, for the King and Queen's dance!"

A spot cleared in the center of the gym for Zach and Cammie to dance. They happily made their way to the middle and began to sway to the music. Zach dipped her and Cammie laughed ecstatically. She was having the time of her life. She leaned close into his arms and relished in living in that moment.

**hey guys!**

**I'm so sorry for the long wait. I've been away and I dislocated my hip so I have to do PT so I've been super busy. But I can't play soccer for like 3 weeks. But I suppose I'll be able to update more! I made this chapter longer so I hope you guys don't hate me.**

**Anyways I hope you liked this chapter! It was fun to write :). Sorry I didn't send out spoilers, but I wrote this all an hour ago so I figured I'd just publish it instead. But review if you want a spoiler for neXt chapter!**

**thanks to BunnySwag101 for reminding me about Canada Day. I know that was a few weeks ago, but I hope all of my Canadian readers had a good one!**

**i need help. Would you guys like Cammie's best friend to be Bex or Macey? write it in your review please. Also, write waffles in the review if you read this whole AN**

**random question, but what are you guys' fav tv series? I want a new one to watch. Random fact. I absolutely love Boston sports teams, especially the Bruins.**

**shoutout to XxCandyygirlxX for being the first reviewer on chapter four!**

**love y'all, and I hope you like my story so far!**

**so c'mon, stick around, see how it ends :)**

**xoxo**

**Tara**


	6. Chapter 6

After their big dance, Cammie slipped outside of the ballroom and out to the courtyard, pulling Zach along being her. There was a large fountain in the center of the courtyard and in the far corner was the entrance to the hedged maze. Cammie tugged Zach to the fountain, where she quickly pulled off her heels and sat down on the edge, dipping her toes into the warm water.

"C'mon Zach, the water feels great!"

"No thanks," Zach responded, watching her behavior with an amused smile on his face. Suddenly, Cammie splashed Zach, thoroughly soaking his shirt. Zach looked at her for a moment, before he peeled off his shirt and gave her a questioning glance.

"I wouldn't have done that if I were you." Zach started, but before he could continue his threat, Cammie turned and sprinted off towards the maze.

"You have to catch me first!" She squealed, as she took off. Zach laughed before he tore after her into the maze. Cammie ran as hard as she could, thankful that she had been training really hard for cheer as she seemed to be outrunning him. She kept twisting and turning through the maze, hoping to throw him off her trail until she reached a dead end. Cammie released an audible gasp and slowed down. Zach caught up to her in seconds and as he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her to the ground. Laughing, Cammie and Zach fell to the ground in a messy heap, with Zach on top. He quickly grabbed her wrists and pinned them above her head and straddled her waist, leaving her stuck on the ground.

"Well" he began, "I caught you." Cammie rolled her eyes and began to wiggle under Zach's weight, attempting to push him off. But Zach was a football player and a teenaged boy, so naturally he was stronger than her. He laughed at her weak attempts, which just annoyed her.

"Okay Zach, you can get up now," Cammie grumbled.

"Not until you admit defeat!" Zach sang. "You have to tell me that I'm the sexiest, most athletic, most handsome, and attractive boy you've ever seen. And tell me you think my smirk is the hottest thing you've ever seen."

"Sorry Zachy, but my parents always taught me to never tell a lie." Cammie responded with a smirk of her own.

Zach ignored her comment and shook his head. "I'm waiting. And we could be out here for a long time so the sooner you say it the sooner you can get it over with."

"Nope. I'm not going to say it." Cammie responded stubbornly.

"Fine then." Zach said as he started to get up, but he didn't release his hold on Cammie's wrists. As soon as she stood up, Zach quickly flipped her over his shoulders and started walking out of the maze.

"What are you doing Zach?"

"Honestly, I'm not sure yet."

Cammie suddenly gasped. "I'm wearing a dress!"

"Yes, you are, and I'm loving the view." Zach replied as he squeezed her butt.

Irritatedly, Cammie kicked him with all her strength in the stomach, and she was pleased as he grunted. Cammie looked up and she realized that she and Zach had already walked out of the maze. Zach walked back to the fountain, and after a moments consideration he tossed her into the fountain.

"Zach!" She screeched. "What the hell!" Cammie angrily stood up and stomped out of the fountain. Just as she was aiming to kick Zach in the balls, he quickly scooped her up again, rendering her attacks useless.

"Well, aren't you in quite the situation." Zach said as he looked down at Cammie squirming in his arms.

"Stop! Put me down!" Zach ignored her, and he instead rotated her so that her legs straddled his torso and her face was inches from his.

"Do you wanna get out of here?" Zach asked.

Cammie wasn't sure if it was he close proximity or the alcohol but for some reason she want to go with him very badly. She eagerly nodded her head and Zach began walking to the car. Once they both got inside, Zach pulled out of the parking lot, and headed away from town.

"Zach," Cammie giggled, clearly tipsy, "where are we going."

"Somewhere, wait and see." He said with a smirk.

Cammie giggled again over nothing in general. She suddenly decided to slide over and climb onto his seat.

"I wanna drive." She said, speaking like a small child.

"I know something you can ride." Zach muttered under his breath.

"Hey!" She squealed. "You're so creepy!" She laughed as she shifted onto his lap.

"Cammie, you have to get off me." Zach said, pushing her with one hand off to the side.

"You're no fun." Cammie pouted, crossing her arms.

"How old are you, six?"

"Six and three quarters, for your information."

Zach pulled in front of a large house that had people strewn about. There was blaring music, people having sex in the bushes, and lots of drunks.

"A party!" Cammie squealed like a kid on Christmas. She hopped out of the car before Zach even stopped it and ran to the front yard. Zach rolled his eyes at her Immaturity and parked the car. He turned and made his way to the party, where Cammie had already found her way onto the dance floor, and into some other tools arms. Before Zach even had to steep in Cammie launched herself into his arms.

"I missed you." She murmured into his shirt.

Zach laughed. "I was just parking the car." Cammie threw her head back and laughed a tinkling laugh, one that made Zach's knees wobble. She then threw herself, into his arms and wrapped her legs around his waist. His hands automatically moved under her butt to support her weight. He was confused by her random actions, but he didn't let it show.

"I wanna go outside. C'mon lets go."

Zach shook his head but lead her out the back door into the yard. It was pouring rain, and Cammie was leaning back and letting the rain pour down her face. She slid down from his arms and grabbed his hand.

"May I have his dance?" He asked.

"Of course you may." Cammie said with a giggle, and they began to spin around the yard. The rain still showered around them and there was no music playing. Yes, they were crazy, but they didn't care. At the end of the dance, Zach leaned in close to Cammie and looked like he was going to kiss her. And she was going to let him.

Until the CLC came bursting into the yard, completely ruining the moment.

"What's up guys?" Cammie asked as she skipped over to Jordan's side. She noticed that Kenzie and Matt were holding hands and she smiled internally to herself.

"Oh nothing, we were just making bets on when you guys are gonna sleep with each other." Brad said as he wiggled his eyebrows.

"Ew guys I have standards," Cammie said shooting a look towards Zach.

"Yeah, and we all know Zach surpasses them." Bex teased, leaning up against Grant's arm.

"Whatever" Cammie said dismissively.

She turned to Jordan. "What are y'all's plan now?"

"Well, it's Tyler's turn to have move night."

"What are we waiting for?" The crew turned to head home. They all piled themselves into Tyler's living room. Cammie was laying across Jordan and Tyler, with her head on Zach's lap.

"See, she does like me." Zach said, as Cammie drifted out of consciousness.

"Dude she's drunk." Nick said. "Last time she got drunk she was in love with Bex's Channing Tatum cutout, you're not that special.

But that didn't stop Zach from feeling like he was, and it certainly couldn't stop the butterflies that were dancing in her stomach.

**hey y'all!**

**what's up? I feel like I haven't talked to you guys in a long time! Sorry the chapter is a little late, but I'm away right now. anyways, I hope you guys liked the chapter! Don't worry, there will be Zammie soon! Please review! It would be a dream come true to break 100 reviews with this chapter! so please R&R! Comment pineapples in you're review for a sneak peak!**

**question: do you guys like hearing about other romances in the CLC, or mostly just zammie? Lemme know :)**

**review and tell me something about yourselves! I read everyone I get, and I like talking to you guys!**

**random fact: I committed to play college soccer I'm so excited!**

**one more thing. I haven't told anyone about me writing and reading on fanfiction, and I would kinda like to tell my friends or family but Im nervous what the might say to me. Suggestions? Comment walrus if you read this whole an!**

**if you guys can break 100 reviews with this chapter, I promise the day iin hits a hundred I'll post a new chapter!**

**and also, incase y'all didn't notice I updated my username! It used to be Ebearz, but now its ErryBerry!**

**thanks for reading! I have the greatest readers ever!**

**so c'mon, stick around, see how it ends :)**

**xoxo**

**Tara**


	7. Chapter 7

The next morning, Cammie woke up early. Her head was still resting on Zach's lap and she carefully got off the couch with disturbing any of the sleeping boys. She left the basement and headed back over to her house, grabbing breakfast on the way. Once in her room, Cammie changed into yoga shorts and a cheer top, and pulled her hair into a high pony tail and tied it with a bow. Today was a big day for Cammie, not only was it the start of the elite cheer season, but it was also her birthday. And Cammie's parents always came home for her birthday and took her out to dinner, no matter where they were.

Cammie slid outside to her red punch buggy and headed to the gym for practice. There wasn't any official practice today, but Cammie wanted to brush up on her gymnastics and stunting tricks. She pulled up to the gym at eight, right as it was opening. This wasn't a problem for Cammie, she had a key to get in even if they were closed. Her parents owned the gym in part with the Abrams family, so Cammie was in there a lot during the season. The gym was an Olympic gaining center gym, not that Cammie was intending to go to the Olympics. When she was twelve, she tore her ACL, and she stopped trying to compete at the top level and started doing it more for fun. Now she resided as a coach to the younger girls, who all admired her skills. As Cammie walked inside in her socks, the only person there was the maintenance main, Derek.

"Hey Derek!"

"Hey Cams! It's been a while since we've see you around here. The girls miss you."

"I've been focusing a lot on my high school team recently, but I want to get back into it!"

Cammie walked out to the equipment and began stretching and warming up. She was bouncing on the trampoline, working on her basic flips and acrobatics. Next, she moved onto the floor. She had this floor routine that she won nationals with, but ever since her injury, she was never able to fully complete it. As her music played in the background, Cammie twisted and tumbled, trying to nail her routine. Just as she was going up for the finale, a voice in the background interrupted her.

"Cammie?"

"Josh!" Cammie squealed turning and throwing herself at the brown haired boy. "Ohmygosh! You're so tall! I haven't seen you since second grade!"

"It's good to see you too," he laughed. "I'm just visiting for a week or two and I needed to stop by the gym." He said as he gestured around him. "I see you're still flipping." He said with a smile.

"Of course! I could never give it up!" Cammie exclaimed. Gymnastics was Cammie's escape. She used it to get her mind off things and relieve stress.

"I actually have to run, but it was great seeing you again." Josh said with a crooked smile.

"Okay, bye Josh!" Cammie sang.

Just as he was turning the corner Josh turned and said, "And Cammie, happy birthday!"

"You remembered! Thank you!" She replied.

"Of course I remembered, we were best friends when we were little!"

Cammie smiled at the memory and turned back to her routine. Just as she was going to attempt her finale, she had another interruption.

The junior group that she was coaching had just arrived for their morning class and they were all swarming Cammie. She sighed, she would have to practice her routine later. Cammie turned to work with the little girls, but her mind was drifting elsewhere. She was thinking of meeting with her parents later on and having their dinner. She hadn't seen the, since the end of last year, they were constantly away on business. Sure, they gave her everything she ever wanted, but they tried to give her material possessions rather than love and affection.

After their class, Cammie hurriedly ran outside to her car and hopped inside. She wanted to rush home and beat her parents there. Se was relieved when she pulled up to see that there wasn't anyone home yet and she hurried inside her house. As she headed into her room to take a shower and change out of her workout clothes she noticed there was a message on the machine.

Cammie turned and clicked on it.

"Hey Cams," it was her dad, "your mom and I won't be able to make it for your birthday this year. But still enjoy it! Hang out with that Jimmy boy or something. You only turn eighteen once! Just don't buy any cigars. Happy birthday, we love you and are very sorry."

The machine clicked and Cammie sank down into a chair. Her parents didn't even know that Josh had moved away in third grade. She hasn't seen them in five months, and they missed the one day she was guaranteed to see them. She pulled her knees up to her chest and sighed. She tried to hold herself together, but she eventually broke down and did the one thing that no one had ever seen Cammie Morgan do. Cry. She didn't even cry when she tore her ACL in seventh grade.

Her soft cries soon turned into sobs, as she began to cry so hard that it hurt. She sat on her couch, in her sweaty gym clothes, without any makeup on as she cried. Cammie heard her front door open and she perked up. For a moment, she thought that maybe it was a joke and her parents were coming to see her anyway. She heard one pair of footsteps walk into her living room and she looked up to see Zach with a shocked expression on his face.

"Please leave," Cammie mumbled, burying her face in the couch. She tucked her legs up underneath her and curled up into a ball, making herself as small as possible.

She knew her request was ignored when she felt the coach shift as someone sat down next to her. She felt Zach's arms wrap around her stomach and pull her close to his body. She was now curled up on his lap with her face pressed against his chest.

"Cammie, what's wrong? It doesn't have anything to do with the fact that Jimmy

Is back in town, does it?"

Cammie shook her head in response.

"Then what's wrong sweetheart?" Zach cooed.

Cammie was shocked at how sincere he was being. He wasn't being his normal cocky self, it seemed like her actually cared about her."It's my parents" she finally chocked out. "They always come back for my birthday. But not this year." She said, a small sob escaping at the end.

"Oh Cammie," he said, pulling her closer. "I'm sorry." there really wasn't much else he could say. The CLC didn't know the Morgan parents very well.

"They do love you, you know that right?" Zach said.

"Yeah," she said quietly. "They just know how to make me feel insignificant." She said with a sigh.

"Cameron Anne Morgan, how could you even say that? You're the most loved girl in Roseville. You're Homecoming Queen. You're a nationally ranked gymnast. Your Head cheerleader. And you have an entire neighborhood filled with kids who adore you. We all love you." Zach said looking her in the eyes.

"Thank you Zach." Cammie said, "thank you so much" she said as she hugged him.

"Now wipe those tears off your face, because you have a birthday to celebrate." Zach said setting her on her feet.

Cammie sniffled but it was clear she was done crying. She turned and headed over to her room to take a shower. She turned to Zach. "Wait here."

Cammie jumped in the shower and hurriedly did her hair and makeup. She put on a floral dress and flounced downstairs, feeling like there was a weight lifted of her shoulders. Zach grabbed her hand and pulled her outside to his car.

"Where are we going?" She giggled. "I'm not in the mood to crash another party."

"We're not, but I have a surprise for the birthday girl."

Cammie smiled and bounced in her seat, suddenly very giddy. "Okay let's go!" She said. Zach laughed at her antics and threw the car in drive. They pulled off Castle Lane and out into town. Zach smirked, he had a very Goode surprise for her.

**Oh. My. Goodness.**

**when I asked for 100 reviews, 25 for one chapter, I didn't imagine I would get them. BUT YOU GAVE ME THEM IN ONE DAY. The chapter was literally up for six hours. you guys are fantastic and I love all of you so much!**

**im sorry I couldn't get this up the next day like I promised, I never dreamed I would get them all so quickly and I didn't check my email till today.**

**i didn't get a chance to do spoilers because i was just typing Like crazy. But put jaguar in you're review for a spoiler for next chapter.**

**so I hoped you guys liked this chapter! It had sweet Zach in it, and don't worry, Cammie and Josh aren't going to be romantically involved i don't think. you can review and tell me about it if you likeee. **

**Would you guys like me to respond to reviews? lemme knoww**

**preseason has begun... And it sucks. Has anyone ever watched soccer girl probs videos? Omg they are my life**

**random fact: I'm the captain of my soccer team**

**tell me something about yourself if you want reviews are always welcomed Hehe.**

**love y'all and I hoped you enjoyed! I need to make shorter ans this is getting extreme. Comment aglet it you read it all!**

**Shoutout to XxCandyygirlxX for the lovely review!**

**so c'mon, stick around, see how it ends :)**

**xoxo**

**Tara**


	8. Chapter 8

Zach and Cammie drove in a comfortable silence to a destination unknown to Cammie. Cammie was getting impatient as they were taking a very long time and Zach had insisted she wore a blindfold to maintain the element of surprise. After what felt like years of driving Cammie felt the car pull to a stop. She immediately perked up excitedly as Zach opened her door and allowed her to take off the blindfold.

She nearly squealed when she opened her eyes. Zach had brought her to the boardwalk, the same place her parents would've taken her if they were actually home. She turned and launched herself into Zach's arms, laughing a giddy laugh.

She inhaled deeply, all of her previously sad feelings had disappeared. She clung to Zach, loving how special he made her feel.

"Alright Cammie, we gonna go in or are you just gonna hug me all night." Zach said as he looked down at her. Cammie released her grip and bounded off towards the gate. She stepped onto the boardwalk in the middle of all the people walking around and soaked it all in. It was a beautiful clear day, with a cool breeze coming in from the ocean. Cammie turned and waited for Zach to catch up.

Zach however, was dragging behind. He was sending a group message to the rest of the CLC, checking to make sure that everything was in place for later. He quickly finished typing and strode over to where Cammie stood, impatiently waiting for him to catch up. He looked down at her face and she looked confused and slightly upset.

"What's up Cams?"

"I forgot money" she replied, looking slightly embarrassed.

"It's alright, the guy usually pays on the first date anyways" he said with a smirk.

"This is not a date! We're just two friends hanging out. There's nothing romantic about that."

"Whatever you say sweetheart" Zach said as he lazily threw his arm around her shoulders. Cammie resisted the urge to throw his arm off her in spite because he was doing something nice for her.

The pair walked the boardwalk, stopping occasionally to play games along the way. Eventually, Cammie sat down and waited on a bench while Zach waited in line to get their drinks. As her eyes scanned the crowd, she saw a group of three boys walking towards her confidently. Cammie sat up a little straighter and ran her fingers threw her hair as they approached her.

The first one spoke up, "I couldn't help but notice a pretty little girl like you sitting here all alone. I'm Bryce." He said. Cammie smiled her award winning smile and widened her big blue eyes as she batted her lashes.

"Cammie" she said, standing up.

"Pretty name for a pretty girl" Bryce said with a wink and Cammie laughed. Flirting was too much fun.

"I haven't seen you guys around before"

"We're here on vacation. Maybe we could have a local show us around?" Cammie laughed again as he started to write out his number.

Suddenly, Zach came back. He glanced around at the boys before possessively wrapping his arm around her waist.

"What did I miss, babe?" He asked as he handed her her drink.

"Not much, these are just some guys who are visiting, from out of town."

"Yeah, we'll we actually have to get going, but I'll see you around Cammie" Bryce said hopefully.

"Maybe," Cammie said, but knowing that she wasn't going to call them. As she and Zach turned around, he smirked down at her.

"So I leave you alone for five minutes, and you already have a handful of guys wrapped around your finger. I'm going to have to start keeping you on a leash." he teased.

"Please, they weren't into me. And I wasn't flirting, I was just being friendly."

"Sure" Zach replied, dragging the word out. Cammie would never admit it, but she kind of liked Zach's possessiveness. But they weren't a couple, and she didn't have feelings for him, she reminded herself.

Although he had been joking, there had been a tinge of seriousness behind Zach's statement. He didn't like all the other boys chasing after Cammie. Just the thought made his blood boil.

Zach and Cammie continued to walk the board walk. Cammie's phone vibrated as she got a text from Tyler.

"Hey Sunshine! Hope you're having a great birthday, don't stop smiling!" Cammie smiled, Tyler has one of the nicest boys.

She responded, "Thanks Ty! Ilysm, hope to see you guys soon, its been way too long!"

Cammie looked up from her texting to see that she and Zach had reached the end of the boardwalk, and were now walking to the beach. She stooped down to pull off her sandals and jogged down to the water. She dipped her toes in the cold September water and squealed before retreating to the shore. She heard Zach catch up to her and she turned to look at him.

"Guess who I saw at the gym today?" She asked.

"Who?"

"Josh! Remember him? Well maybe you don't, but he used to be my best friend when we were little."

"Jordan and Matt told me about him. He sounds like a tool." Zach scoffed.

"I think you're jealous." She teased, bumping into his side.

"Jealous of what? He's got nothing."

"Okay Zachy" Cammie replied sarcastically. Then she got a mischievous smile on her face. Using her foot, she kicked a wave of water up at Zach. She laughed and turned to run off, but before she could go anywhere, Zach caught her around her waist and tossed her into the water. She stood up in the freezing water, throughly soaked.

"ZACH! I'm gonna kill you!"

Zach just laughed as she lunged at him, her body to small to do any damage. Soon enough, however, she began shivering in the cool fall air.

"You're so cold Cammie," Zach stated.

"No shit Sherlock" she replied as her teeth started to chatter.

As the two began to walk back to the boardwalk, Zach shrugged off his jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders in an attempt to give her some heat. When they reached the boardwalk, a photographer came up to them and asked to take their picture.

In spite of everything, they agrees. Zach wrapped his arm around her soaked shoulders and she hugged his waist. Their smiles were both genuine, wide, and bright. Cammie stood there soaked to her skin, wearing Zach's jacket, and still managed to look flawless. Zach looked as perfect as ever with his arm muscles rippling from under his T-shirt. The picture was perfect, with the sun setting over the water behind them.

The photographer looked down at the picture and said, "How beautiful, do you want it?"

"Sure," Zach replied, "How much?"

"For this beautiful couple, nothing. Consider it a gift." He answered.

"Oh, we're not-" Cammie started.

"We'll take it, thanks a lot" Zach interrupted.

After the pair passed through the boardwalk and played a couple more games, they decided to go home. Zach had won Cammie a giant teddy bear from one of the games that was bigger than her.

As they got in the car, Cammie's bear had to go in the back because it was to big for the front.

"Thank you Zach, so much, for everything." Cammie said earnestly, looking up at him with her big blue eyes.

"Always," he said, smiling a genuine smile at her.

As they left the beach, Zach smiled, knowing that there was another surprise on the way.

**hey guys!**

**sorry for the late update...school has been kicking my butt. Hope you liked this chapter! we see a little more of the sweet Zach, but cocky Zach is not lost! **

**For those of you wondering, the CLC will be back in action in the next chapter! I know these past chapters have been just Zammie, and be patient, they aren't bf/gf yet..**

**Random fact: my team won a state championship last year, and were going for a repeat this year!**

**general shoutout today, for everyone who has reviewed, I love all of my reviewers and you guys help motivate me! Honestly was a little stuck with the way this chapter was coming out, but I thinks it came out pretty good :)**

**reviews are welcomed, encouraged and my favorite things!**

**ALSO: if I get 150 reviews with this chapter, I'll post the next chapter the next day!**

**so c'mon, stick around, see how it ends :)**

**xoxo**

**Tara**


	9. Chapter 9

Matt and Jordan stood in the bathroom of Matt's house, holding a tube of black lipstick. Jordan looked down at the lipstick questioningly, before slowly opening the cap.  
"Are you sure this is what we use for eyeblack?" Jordan asked warily.  
"Yeah almost positive" Matt said, "just hurry up and put it on. We only have a couple more hours."  
The boys were decked out in all black outfits and began to apply eye black under their eyes because Matt insisted it made them look more intense. They grabbed their stuff and ran over to Grant's, who was still out with Zach. They walked into the Newman house hold, where the rest of the CLC was waiting, sans Bex and Grant.  
"Hey y'all," Jordan greeted, before throwing the party supplies onto the kitchen table. Grants house was an absolute wreck, there were overturned tables, cushions ripped off couches, and just general disarray.  
"The place looks awesome!" Matt yelled as he wandered through the living room.  
"You're welcome!" Macey chimed in, walking down from the upper level, which Nick trailing behind her. Nick and Macey were both dressed similarly to Matt and Jordan in all black. Macey had a camouflage bandana tied around her head and Nick had it around his wrist because they "had to match."  
"Where are Bex and Grant?" Matt asked, "Everyone else is in the kitchen."  
"I don't know, they said they were going to get something from the basement an hour ago." Macey replied. Matt turned and headed down the stairs, but stopped short when he turned the corner. Bex and Grant were in an intense make out session, and things were getting a little R rated.  
Matt cleared his throat, looking at the couple expectantly. Bex gasped in surprise and Grant turned, shooting a pissed glance over towards Matt.  
"What the hell man!"  
"Sorry to interrupt your little make out session, but I'd just like to point out that Cammie is supposed to be back here in an hour, and the too of you are canoodling down her instead of helping us get ready."  
"Dude, who the hell even says canoodling..."  
Matt rolled his eyes and headed upstairs. Pausing on the middle step, he called, "Hey! Weren't you guys supposed to trash the basement?"  
"Don't worry," Grant called as a lamp crashed in the background, "we're on it."  
As Matt reached the top of the stairs, he saw the wavy dark brown hair he had been waiting to see all day. He walked up to her and covered her eyes with his big hands.  
"Guess who?" He asked in a high pitched, squeaky, girly voice.  
"Hmm, I hope not my incredibly ugly boyfriend?" Kenzie teased, and then she turned around to look at him. "Oops, I guess it is."  
"Hey now-" Matt began, before he was interrupted by another large crash from the basement that sounded a lot like the flat screen TV.  
"BEX! We weren't supposed to break that!"

Brad stood with Tyler and Jordan in the game room, surveying the mess they had made with looks of approval.  
"What else do we have to do?" Brad asked.  
"Liz and Jonas went out to get some last minute food, because you and Grant ate half of what we had gotten originally." Tyler said jokingly.  
"Hey, me and Grant gotta eat what me and Grant gotta eat. I love you man!" Brad bellowed through the house.  
Seconds later, Grant replied, "Love you too man, don't let the haters get you down!" Brad and Grant had a bit of a bromance, simply because they were so similar. Brad flashed a grin towards Tyler and Jordan before they moved to the kitchen.  
Tyler reached for the bag of supplies that Jordan had brought and dumped it out across the kitchen counter. It contained a myriad of guns of all different kinds, some were snipers, some were pistols, and some were rapid reload shotguns. Jordan spread them out neatly and looked at the other to boys. "There's enough so that everyone has two. Initial ammo is 50 for everyone, with reloads hidden around the house."  
"Excellent" Brad said, already fiddling with a shotgun.  
"Aren't there two extra?" Tyler asked uncertainly, looking at the armory laid out in front of them.  
"Yeah, about that, me and Matt heard that Josh was back in town and we didn't know if we should invite him."  
"I don't know, I'd probably say no, you know how Zach can be..." Tyler trailed off uncertainly.  
"Wait. How can he be?" Brad asked, not catching on.  
Tyler sighed, before saying "You know how he gets all protective about Cammie, Grant too, and especially if he found out how Josh used to like her I think that it would be better to just leave him out of this."  
As they were saying this, Liz and Jonas returned with the food. They began to dump chips into bowls and threw all the drinks in the cooler.  
"Is everyone ready?" Jonas asked.  
"I think so, we have about fifteen minutes before the love birds get back." Brad replied.  
"So we can just hang out and watch TV in the basement until they get back." Jordan said, walking over to the stairs.  
"Yeah there is no basement TV anymore, BEX." Grant chimed in as he walked into the kitchen holding hands with Bex. Bex just laughed. She turned to the group and began talking about how bloody awesome it was.  
Meanwhile, Cammie and Zach pulled up in front on Cammie's house, and she turned to get out of the car. Surprisingly, Zach turned off the car and followed her inside the house.  
"What are you doing?" Cammie asked as she unlocked her front door and stepped inside the foyer.  
Zach didn't respond, but he instead pulled out the same blindfold from before and said "Birthday Surprise Round Two!" He pushed her upstairs into her bedroom. Macey had come over while they were out and picked out an outfit for her to wear. It followed the same pattern the rest of the CLC was wearing, all black, and Cammie also had a camouflage bandana.  
"Put this on," Zach said as he pushed her into her bathroom and he turned to get changed himself.  
Cammie didn't say anything, she just excitedly changed clothes, wondering what they needed all black attire for. As she stepped out of the bathroom, Zach asked for her black eyeliner.  
"Hmm Zach are you going through an eyeliner phase, because if so black is so not your color." She teased.  
"Okay sassy, it's for eyeblack, it's a part of the look." The pair quickly put the eyeblack on before Zach made Cammie put the blindfold on once again. He walked her outside, then spun her around in circles a few times before heading over to Grants.  
They entered the foyer of Grants house, where the rest of the CLC had already scattered. As they walked in, Zach pulled off Cammie's blindfold and she gasped. "Why is Grant's house a wreck?"  
Before Zach could respond an automated message started playing. "Welcome to your eighteenth birthday battle. In the kitchen you will find your weapons, you have 50 rounds already inside additional rounds are hidden in key places around the battlefield. Anywhere inside the house is fair game, off of The Newman property is out if bounds. The two of you are on a team, work together. The winner will receive the ultimate prize. This is Nerf Battle. Good luck."  
The message clicked off and Cammie squealed with excitement. We're having a Nerf battle?" She whisper-shouted.  
"You bet, grab your stuff, we have to get out of the open." They rushed to the kitchen to grab their guns and Nerf darts. Cammie's gun came with a birthday tiara, which she laughingly allowed Zach to put on her.  
"Are you ready?" She asked Zach excitedly.  
Zach smirked at her.  
"Lock and Load Princess."

**hey guys!**

**I am so incredibly sorry for the long wait. It's just college apps and soccer and school and ugh. Thank you to everyone who has stuck with me! It's been quite a journey, has it not?**

**In other news, thank you too all my wonderful reviewers, we didn't hit 150 but I hope we can this time! You're support keeps me motivated to keep working. At the end of the day, I am writing for you! **

**eek fall is so pretty with all the leaves but then it gets all depressing leading up into winter I find it very bittersweet.**

**ok so part of the reason I haven't updated in a while is because I've been playing Around with this other story idea I had. the trailer is below, so read if you like, but just tell me what you think if I should develop it or not!**

The rain pitter-pattered loudly as it beat against the wet asphalt. She dove stealthily down the dark alleyway, ducking in between buildings and in alcoves as the sirens wailed in the distance. She saw the red and blue lights flashing in between the buildings of the New York City alley. Pausing for a moment, she turned, glancing behind her shoulder towards the panicked calls of civilians and policemen. Her long blonde curls whipped behind her shoulder as she turned back to the narrow pathway in front of her. Her combat boots pushed off against the the cold stone ground and she took off again, dashing through the night.  
That was the last time she looked back.

"What the bloody hell is wrong with you?"  
"Every time you say that all I can think of is periods."

"What math class did you take, one plus one equals two?"  
"Grant, that question shouldn't even be dignified with a response."

"Where have you been?"  
"Guys I've literally been with you the entire time!"  
"Grant, we weren't asking you..."

"You know who you remind me of? The girl from "The Devil Wears Prada."  
"I remind you of Anne Hathaway?"  
"Oh, no I meant the bitchy old lady who ended up alone."

"You're cute when you blush."  
"Wish I could say the same about when you smirk."

"Do you want to go out with me?"  
"You mean like in public?"

"Are we an item?"  
"Did you just quote Justin Bieber?"

**so yeah please let me know if its worth continuing?**

**same as usual, comment horse for a sneak peak, or swirls if you read the whole an and trailer.**

**so I hoped you liked my chapter, it was super fun to write and I'm excited for the next one :) review and lemme know whatcha think.**

**so sorry for the log wait, thanks to everyone whose keeping with me!**

**so c'mon, stick around, see how it ends :)**

**xoxo**

**Tara**


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